The present invention is generally directed to controlling the use and copying of digital content which is distributed on removable media.
In recent years, the development of digital audio compression technology coupled with the introduction of inexpensive portable audio devices has allowed consumers to carry, literally in their pocket, entire libraries of high quality music to be enjoyed almost anywhere while engaged in almost any activity. These portable devices generally use solid-state memory or miniature computer hard drives to hold hundreds or thousands of megabytes of compressed audio. In order to move music from traditional media (e.g., a Compact Disc(trademark) containing Redbook audio) to the portable device, a consumer generally uses computer software to xe2x80x9cripxe2x80x9d the CD and create files containing the compressed audio using an algorithm such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3 (commonly known as MP3). These files may then be copied to the portable device.
An unfortunate side effect of this revolution in audio compression technology has been a substantial increase in copyright infringement and piracy through file swapping over the Internet. Although sharing music with friends and acquaintances via recordable cassette tape and other physical media has been going on for years, high quality audio compression technology combined with one of any number of file swapping software programs can now allow a single consumer to purchase a single copy of an album and almost instantaneously share it with thousands of other individuals worldwide. While some sharing of music among acquaintances can serve to promote a new album or musical act resulting in increased sales, virtually unlimited sharing can drastically erode sales.
A number of potential solutions have been proposed to combat copyright infringement and unlimited copying. Many of these solutions include digital rights management (DRM) schemes which manage virtually every use of the digital content. However, in their present form, these solutions can be difficult and inconvenient to use. Other solutions simply use xe2x80x9canti-rippingxe2x80x9d technology to prevent the Redbook audio of a CD from being read by a computer (thus preventing the CD from being ripped) while still allowing it to be read by home stereo equipment. However, this prevents the consumer from making a personal-use copy for use only on the consumer""s portable device.
It would be useful to have a solution which prevents or reduces the unlimited file swapping that results in copyright infringement while preserving flexibility and ease of use for the consumer.
The present invention provides devices, systems and methods for controlling the use of digital content so that, for example, the number of copies made of the content may be controlled or limited without greatly restricting the consumer""s ability to use and enjoy the content. This may be accomplished by, for example, storing on a medium a protected copy of the digital content along with a copy of the digital content which is unreadable by a computer system.
In one possible embodiment of the present invention, the removable medium is a CD that contains both standard Redbook audio tracks which have been protected with anti-ripping technology (i.e., the section of the CD with these tracks cannot be read by a computer CD drive or computer DVD drive, but can be read by, for example a stereo system) as well as a computer readable section of the CD. The computer readable section of the CD contains protected versions of the same audio tracks in a compressed format. Software for playing, using or making copies of these compressed tracks may also be provided on the CD. The CD may be used like a conventional CD in stereo equipment or may be used in a computer to provide the consumer with a limited number of copies of the digital content for use in a portable device or on other computers.
When the removable media is placed in the consumer""s computer system, the software may allow the consumer to play or otherwise use the content directly as well as allowing the consumer to make a limited number of copies which may be transferred to a portable device or transferred to another computer. The number of copies that can be made may be limited by one or more of a number of factors including, for example, the number of copies currently on the computer, the number of copies ever made, or whether copies were previously made on another computer. These copies are all stored on the computer when they are made and may then be transferred to the portable device or to another computer, or they may simply be played by the software without the removable medium needing to be in the computer.
In another possible embodiment of the present invention, the removable media is a writable CD, for example a CD-R or CD-RW that contains protected Redbook audio, a protected, compressed version of the same audio, and software for accessing the compressed audio. The CD may be used like a conventional CD in stereo equipment or may be used in a computer to provide the consumer with a limited number of copies of the digital content for use in a portable device or on other computers. The software may then write information onto the CD about the copies made or the circumstances under which the copies were made.
These embodiments and variations to them, as well as other possible embodiments, are described in more detail below.